{"nrhp_refnum":"72001155","name":"Grumblethorpe","other_names":["Wister`s Big House","See Also:Colonial Germantown Historic Dis"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5267 Germantown Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.032045468000035,"lon":-75.16848431999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-03-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Grumblethorpe is a stone house in Germantown, Philadelphia, built in 1744 as a summer residence for the Wister family. It consists of a main house of two and a half stories with a one and a half story rear wing.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house was the first in Germantown built for summer residency and represents the final stage in the development of domestic architecture indigenous to Germantown. Its size exceeded neighboring houses, earning it the name \"Wister's Big House.\" It also hosted notable guests, including Brigadier-General James Agnew, who was taken there after being mortally wounded during the British occupation of Philadelphia.","narrative":"Built in 1744 as a summer residence in Germantown, Philadelphia, Grumblethorpe is a stone house of two and a half stories with a long rear wing connected by a one-story passage. Its facade is dressed stone, with rubble stone end walls. The house was the home of the Wister family and was known locally as \"Wister's Big House\" because its dimensions far exceeded those of neighboring houses. It is regarded as the final stage in the development of domestic architecture indigenous to Germantown. During the British occupation of Philadelphia, Brigadier-General James Agnew stayed at the house until the day of the battle in which he was mortally wounded; he died there shortly after being brought back. Visitors also included Louis Philippe, Louis Agassiz, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Say and John Quincy Adams. The house lies within the Germantown Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.","period_of_significance":"1744-1890","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.122326-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/72001155.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001155/8417299def-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001155/8417299def-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"E.F. Hoffman Jr.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grumblethorpe.png\" rel=\"noopener\">E.F. Hoffman Jr.</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grumblethorpe.png"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000678","name":"Colonial Germantown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/colonial-germantown-historic-district-66000678/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997032","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumblethorpe","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5612044"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/grumblethorpe-72001155/"}